Little Trailer on the Prairie

Here we are, one week post Nor'easter. It is cold, cold, cold with bright blue skies today. The cold water is frozen in the trailer now and we bring in jugs from the milk room. I have had the same set of silk underwear on for a week. It reminds me of when moms would sew their kids into a set of underwear and they would wear them all winter. I totally understand. Tonight is bath night! Whew-whew! Red neck Saturday night! Maybe I will make a pot of chili to celebrate. The last time I made chili I set two big plastic containers out on the porch to freeze, which it did, solid and heavy. A few days later when I wanted to thaw some to eat the plastic containers were gone. Nowhere to be found. Searched around in the snow, no chili. Must have been the dogs, but how did they get it? They would have to had knocked the containers off the ledge, rolled them down the stairs and dragged them away. Icy chili doesn't appeal to me but I guess it did to the doggies. I planned on living on that chili for a week. On our budget, or lack of any money to budget, this is a hit. Coyotes, maybe? I can't imagine they would come this close to the house, with the LGD's barking away. Speaking of LGD's...the rotten dogs ran away. I am really pissed off at them. I let them out to play in the snow while I took care of the new lamb, and off they went, over the fence. These are dogs who are bred to bond to the sheep, live with the sheep, protect the sheep. My dogs don't give a flip about the sheep. They are nice to them and tolerate them eating their food, etc., but I don't see the protection aspect there. Maybe if a coyote or two came into the barn (which does happen around here) their instincts would kick in. I have heard that sometimes a dog's instincts have to be turned on. But for now, I just wish they would come back.